Fertilizers are soil additives that are used to encourage plant growth. The main nutrients supplied in fertilisers are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, with other elements added in lower amounts. The macronutrients, which include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), are the most important nutrients for plants in terms of weight (i.e. NP-K). The main source of nitrogen is ammonia. The main substance used to make nitrogen available to plants is urea. Phosphorous is available in the form of superphosphate, which is also known as ammonium phosphate. Potassium is supplied through muriate of potassium (Pottasium Chloride).
Synthetic macronutrient fertiliser is often known as artificial or straight fertiliser because it primarily comprises the three essential nutrients. Compound fertilisers are N-P-K fertilisers that have been purposefully blended with other ingredients.
The composition of these three factors is used to classify fertilisers.
The crop removes a substantial amount of plant nutrients from the soil, notably NPK nutrients, which are projected to be 125 kg/ha/year at the current level of crop output, whereas the annual input is only 75 kg, resulting in soil nutrient depletion. Excessive reliance on chemical fertilisers, as well as a disregard for the conservation and use of organic sources of nutrients, has resulted in soil nutrient depletion, as well as soil health issues that make it difficult to achieve sustained increases in agricultural productivity.
1. Organic fertiliser supplies all of the nutrients that plants require, albeit in little amounts.
2. It helps to maintain the soil's C:N ratio while also increasing the soil's fertility and productivity.
3. It enhances the soil's physical, chemical, and biological qualities.
4. It improves the soil's structure as well as texture.
5. It improves the soil's water-holding capacity.
6. The nutrients in the lower depths are made available to the plants due to an increase in biological activity.
7. It functions as much as possible, reducing moisture evaporation losses from the soil.
Pulses, wheat, rice, peanuts, potatoes, and onions are among the main agricultural goods produced in India. The demand for fertilisers has increased in the country as a result of the country's continued population growth and rising demand for food crops. Farmers in India are also aggressively adopting fertilisers to boost their productivity as a result of rising urbanisation and shrinking arable land. Furthermore, through KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVKs), the Indian government is pursuing measures and offering subsidies to create high-quality seeds and cluster frontline demonstrations, which is driving up demand for fertilisers. Various projects run by the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), for example, are enhancing food productivity.
They also minimise fertiliser imports, which makes it easier for India to produce its own fertilisers. Furthermore, governing bodies are providing farmers with the essential help through a variety of schemes and the introduction of new technologies to develop better fertilisers at discounted rates, which is favourably impacting market growth. The market is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 4.8 percent during the next five years (2022-2027).
Human waste, animal waste, and vegetable matter are used to make organic fertilisers (usually rotten or non-consumable by humans). Animal waste from meat processing plants, peat, slurries, manures, and guano are examples of naturally occurring organic fertilisers. Because organic fertilisers are made from naturally existing elements, they pose less risk to the environment.
Because many fertilisers find their way into human diet, using organic fertilisers minimises the risk of diseases in humans. Blood meal, bone meal, composites, earthworm castings, bat guano, fish emulsion, alfalfa meal, feather meal, and rock phosphate are some of the most popular organic fertilisers on the market. Organic fertilisers are normally chosen once the crop's nutritional requirements have been determined.
The coronavirus pandemic is posing issues to Southeast Asia's fertiliser sector, affecting fertiliser distribution inside and between markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysia has enforced a curfew, but fertiliser production plants have been given permission to continue operating because they are critical to the country's food supply.
Industry Major Market Players
· Borealis AG
· Yara
· Agrium Inc.
· ICL
· EuroChem Group AG
· PhosAgro
· CARBOTECNIA SL
· Haifa Chemicals Ltd.
· SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH
· J.R. Simplot Company
